


Broke As A Bottle of Wine

by ChocolateCapCookie



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, Financial Issues, Fluff, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurts So Good, I always wanted to use that teehee, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Multi, POV Alternating, Please read, Protective Steve Rogers, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Tony Stark Has A Heart, but - Freeform, there's so many love tags wtf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2020-11-09 06:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20849018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCapCookie/pseuds/ChocolateCapCookie
Summary: Steve and Tony are...what do the kids call it again? Broke as fuck. They're practically bankrupt. They're almost literally penniless.They're not poor, though. How can they be poor when they have each other?





	Broke As A Bottle of Wine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FriedChickenNisha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FriedChickenNisha/gifts).

> Sigh I have so much work to do but here I am writing fluffy Stony because if I can't be happy, then I'm damn well going to force my favourite characters to be.
> 
> I wrote this for @FriedChickenNisha. Babe, I know you don't know me, but you've supported and commented on all my works so far, and it honestly really inspired me. Your support is partly why I'm still writing, so thank you so much, and I really hope you enjoy this.
> 
> No beta 'cause I have no friends, please point out any mistakes so I can fix 'em!
> 
> Title and lyrics from Rich Love by OneRepublic.
> 
> I hope you guys like it!

Tony squirmed around in his sleep, trying to get comfortable. The mattress they slept on was hard, and although he was used by now to the bumps and dips, for some reason he couldn’t find that one perfect spot today.

He tossed and turned, whimpering slightly, not uncomfortable enough to wake up, but unable to fully rest either. It was on his third time flipping sides that a pair of warm arms sleepily wrapped around him, pinning him to the bed so he couldn’t move.

Tony smiled. He could handle sleeping on a bed of nails as long as he had Steve cuddled with him.

Tony slept soundly, only waking up when he felt Steve move away from him. He raised his head sleepily to catch his boyfriend’s eyes. “Steveee,” he moaned when his boyfriend looked over. Steve smiled and Tony luxuriated for a moment in that beautiful, _beautiful _smile. “Come back to bed.”

Steve walked over to him, but instead of getting in bed and keeping Tony warm, he simply kissed Tony gently on the forehead. “You know I have to go, sweetheart,” he said softly, his voice warm and quiet and soothing Tony back to the land of dreams. “I can’t take any more days off.”

Tony sighed and burrowed himself into the thin sheets, any retort he wanted to make dying on his tongue. Steve was right. They’d used up all his sick days when Tony caught the flu and Steve had stayed home to take care of him. Tony had been so out of it he hadn’t even realized, and when he came to he’d given Steve a long hard death glare (which was all he was capable of in his state) and whisper-yelled at Steve to _Go back to work, Rogers! _Of course, Steve and his mother-hen nature hadn’t listened to a word Tony had said, and now Steve had no way of taking off of work if he needed to.

Tony watched Steve get ready, half-asleep and drooling on his pillow. It wasn’t until Steve kissed him and left for work that Tony allowed himself to fall asleep again.

Tony felt properly overwhelmed with guilt sometimes, on the days when he had time to sit down and actually _think _about their situation. He should’ve _known, _god, he should’ve fucking known not to involve Steve in any of his problems. If fact, he should’ve never come out in the first place.

How had he ever thought it would be a good idea? Howard, that asshole, had cut off all financial support and stopped paying for the apartment Tony lived in when he’d heard his son was not only gay, but regularly sticking his tongue down another man’s throat, and Tony had been a fool to not see that coming.

Tony winced, remembering the scene his father had caused. He’d stormed into the building and demanded the supervisor kick Tony out immediately. He’d stood watch as Tony hurriedly packed all his things and moved them onto the street. And then the entire street had watched as Howard yelled at him, finishing with a dramatic “And don’t you dare show your face at my home ever again!” before walking away.

Tony had refused to cry, showing up at Steve’s dorm room with a tight, pinched face, ripped clothes and a box full of his personal belongings, but no tears. It had taken Steve an hour of cuddling him and softly rubbing his back before Tony broke down and cried his heart out in his boyfriend’s arms.

Steve had let him stay of course; he hadn’t even thought twice about it. Three days later, just as Tony was getting over his shock and anger, a university official showed up at Steve’s door. Steve ended up getting kicked out of the dorms for letting an unregistered, unpaying student stay, and they’d had to scramble to find a place to live.

They’d found a place, but even the lowest rents in the area were too high for them to pay with their limited savings. Steve had dropped out of school and found two jobs, working at a nearby Walmart in the mornings and shifting stock at a local warehouse later, while Tony continued studying full-time. He felt guilty about the arrangement, but as Steve pointed out, it made sense for Tony to finish his final year as quickly as possible (thankfully, Howard had already paid tuition for the whole year and couldn’t take that money back,) while Steve, who’d just completed his first year, could afford to take a bit of time off. Tony couldn’t watch Steve kill himself trying to provide for both of them though, and he’d started a mini-business fixing people’s watches or phones or cars, just so he could bring in some extra money.

That was the long sad story of how they’d ended up in this tiny, shitty apartment. Tony looked around, noticing the dripping pipes, the stained walls, the mismatched wallpaper and flooring. For someone who’d grown up in a literal mansion, this place was almost claustrophobic. But it had one thing none of his previous homes did: love.

Steve walked inside the apartment quietly, sixteen hours after he’d left. He collapsed onto their tiny couch, eyes closed and clearly exhausted. Tony gently rubbed a hand in his boyfriend’s hair, the soft soothing motion helping Steve relax.

“How you feeling, babe?” Steve asked, tilting his head towards Tony but keeping his eyes closed. Tony rolled his eyes.

“I’m not the one who just worked for 16 hours straight,” he chided. “Are _you _okay?"

“And I’m not the one who just got over the flu,” chuckled Steve, wrapping an arm around Tony’s waist and pulling him down so he was seated on Steve’s lap like Tony weighed nothing. Tony cuddled into Steve’s toned chest, appreciating his boyfriend’s body. Steve’s job at the warehouse meant he’d seriously bulked up. There was barely a trace of the skinny, scrawny idiot Tony had first fallen in love with two years ago.

“‘M tired,” admitted Steve. “But I’ll be fine after a nice long nap.” He lifted Tony’s head up so he could press a kiss to his lips. “Didya take all your meds? And a lot of fluids?”

“Yeah, yeah, I did, Mary Poppins,” Tony grumbled, pushing himself up and out of Steve’s lap. “C’mon, I made chicken soup for dinner.”

Steve smiled slightly, sighing in contentment. “That sounds amazing, babe,” he said, getting off the couch and pressing one last kiss to Tony’s cheek. “I’ll just take a shower and be back.”

Tony nodded, his cheeks red. Two years of dating and Steve could still make him blush like a schoolgirl. He loved the man so damn much.

Tony sipped at his dinner in silence, hoping Steve wouldn’t notice the lack of vegetables, or pretty much anything healthy actually. The soup was already thinner than it should’ve been, considering they’d run out of proper ingredients three days ago. They couldn’t afford to make enough for both of them to eat to their fill, so he regularly and slyly slipped Steve the lion’s share, because the guy deserved that much at least after working so hard the whole day.

“This is amazing, Tony,” said Steve from where he was seated on the couch next to Tony. He’d practically inhaled his bowl, faster than Tony could even take a sip out of his. It made Tony’s heart break a little, seeing how hungry Steve was. He’d go without eating for days if it meant Steve could have even a little extra, but he knew Steve would never let him.

“It’s just stock and water, Steve. With a little chicken in there. No big deal.”

“You still made it. For me. So it’s amazing and I love it and I love you, Tony Stark.”

“Shut up, you big sap,” grumbled Tony, swatting him over the head with his spoon. “But just so you don’t pine away and die, I love you too.”

Steve smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head against the back of the couch. Tony slowly pulled the empty bowl out of his hands and washed everything up, careful not to make too much noise. When he looked over at Steve, he had fallen asleep, snoring softly. Tony smiled at how adorable his boyfriend was, but woke him up anyway to get him to sleep on their actual bed. Steve had another long day tomorrow, and sleeping on a broken-down couch wasn’t going to help him at all.

“Tones, focus!” hissed Rhodey. When that didn’t get him a reaction, he poked his best friend in the side with a pencil.

“What in the _fuck?!_” yelped Tony, turning to glare at his friend. In reply, Rhodey just pointed at their professor slowly making his way towards them, asking questions from random students.

“Oh fuck, what were we supposed to study?” asked Tony hurriedly. “I didn’t get to sleep much, and-”

“Don’t worry, I got it covered,” whispered Rhodey, his eyes softening. “Just try to look like you didn’t walk off the set of _Sleeping Beauty, _okay?”

Tony nodded, trying to look like he was paying attention as the professor walked by and asked a question, Rhodey answering for both of them. He was exhausted, not having yet fully recovered from the flu, and he’d slept late the previous day. Besides, it was the last lecture of the day, who wouldn’t fall asleep in a boring 3-5 history lecture anyway? Why he even had to take a history elective to get an engineering degree was beyond him, but he didn’t really have the energy to complain.

“Thanks, sweetcheeks,” he mumbled towards Rhodey, resting his head on his friend’s shoulder. Tony had always been a very touchy-feely person.

“Everything okay, Tony?” asked Rhodey, concern dripping from his voice.

“Yeah, I was just up late,” said Tony rubbing his eyes. “I had to fix this old Nokia phone - God, who even _uses _those anymore? - and it took me ages.”

“You know if you and Steve can always ask if you need help, right?” asked Rhodey. “Honestly, even if you just need a little cash...I’m always there for you, Tony.”

“Thanks, platypus,” smiled Tony, closing his eyes. He was grateful for the offer, but he knew they’d never ask anyone for help. Tony was fiercely independent, Steve probably too much so. It was one of the reasons he loved him.

Tony sighed and pushed himself up. He wasn’t ever going to be able to get his master’s; he might as well focus and get one degree right.

For someone who’d grown up almost literally with a silver spoon in his mouth, Tony adjusted to not having too much money quite well. Really, Jarvis would be quite shocked, and possibly very mad (at Howard), if he could see Tony comparing detergent brands at the store, doing mental calculations to see which gave the most for the price he paid. Maybe he’d even be happy watching his surrogate son standing with Steve in their tiny kitchen, learning how to cook lentils and potatoes a million different ways.

He was sure though, that he’d never have coped so well without Steve. Steve was a literal angel, holding Tony up, supporting him and helping him navigate his new life. Mostly, Steve just loved him, deeply and unconditionally, and having grown up without knowing much love, that was enough to make Steve the best person in the world in Tony’s eyes.

Which was why Tony ran back home after his last class, without waiting around for Rhodey or Pepper. Today, Thursday, was the one day of the week Steve got off work early, and he wanted to get home and have dinner ready for him. His younger self would have laughed his ass off at the idea, but there was just something so wonderfully nice and warm about the domesticity of it all, and the fact that he was doing it for Steve, the love of his life.

His plans were ruined though, when he got back and saw Steve was already at home, humming as he worked in the kitchen. His eyes brightened when they saw Tony, and he walked over to give him a kiss as Tony pulled off his shoes.

“How was class?” asked Steve, turning back to what smelled like mashed potatoes on the stove.

“I would say it was boring, but I ditched one and slept through the other two, so I have no idea,” shrugged Tony.

Steve had to hide a smile, sighing and turning to Tony. “You need to stop missing so much class, Tony,” he said, giving Tony the patented Steve Stare of Disappointment. Even Tony wasn’t immune to its power.

“I will when they start teaching me stuff I don’t already know,” he said, wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist and nesting his head on his shoulder. He frowned.

“Did you go for a run or something? You’re really warm,” he commented, noticing the lines of sweat on Steve’s back, clearly visible through his thin shirt.

Steve simply shrugged in reply, pulling the potatoes off the stove. “It’s just hot today,” he said. “Nothing a cold shower won’t fix.” He turned around, smiling as he pecked Tony softly on the lips. “Speaking of showers, you stink.” Tony pouted as Steve slapped his ass in the direction of their bathroom. “Hurry back before the potatoes get cold!”

As it turned out, Steve wasn’t always right. Tony could tell the minute he woke up the next morning, Steve burning up and shivering in his sleep.

_Oh, god, no, _thought Tony to himself, hurrying to fetch anything he could find to help keep Steve’s temperature down. He groaned when he realized he’d used up all of the cold medicine, and neither of them had bothered to replace it. Biting his lip, he wet a few thick towels and folded them up, placing them on Steve’s arms and forehead. A few trickles of water ran down Steve’s face, effectively waking him up.

“Tony...what?” he asked dazedly, his voice cracking. Tony hurried to press a kiss to Steve’s cheek, rubbing his hands soothingly over any part of his boyfriend’s body he could reach.

“You’re burning up, sweetheart,” he said. “This is the only way I can bring your temperature down.” He pressed another soft kiss to Steve’s chapped lips, wincing at the heat emanating from his body. “Go back to sleep. I’ll stay home today, keep an eye on you, okay?”

“What day is it?” asked Steve, and Tony could see he was biting his lip to keep from moaning in pain. Typical Steve, and Tony hesitated before he answered, trying to decide whether to lie to Steve or not.

“It’s...Friday,” he said reluctantly, and he mentally rolled his eyes as Steve tried to push himself out of bed. “You’re not going to work today, Steve, don’t even try.”

“I have to go, Tony, I have two full shifts,” argued Steve weakly, closing his eyes for a moment to distract himself from the blooming pain in his temple. “And I know you’re packed with classes today, you can’t miss them either.”

Tony did roll his eyes then, placing his hands firmly on Steve’s shoulders when he sat up. “You can’t go to work like this Steve, you’d pass out before you even got there.” He cupped Steve’s face, rubbing his thumb gently over Steve’s cheekbone. “And you know I’m not going to go to class anyway, so please, just let me stay home and take care of you, okay?”

“Tony, we need the money,” sighed Steve. “And I can’t take any more days off, I’ll get fired.” He leaned into Tony’s touch, his eyes closed.

“You can switch shifts with someone,” suggested Tony.

“Nobody’s going to want to switch this late,” said Steve, but despite his words, he fell back onto the pillow, his entire body clenched in pain. “And I don’t really have the energy to call anyone right now, Tony.”

“I’ll call them for you, you idiot,” said Tony, running one hand slowly through Steve’s soft blonde hair. “You just get some rest, and try to get better okay?” A few tears slipped from Steve’s eyes and he brought a hand up to rub at his head. Tony almost wanted to cry as well; watching Steve in such pain and not being able to help him was almost worse than being sick himself. He kept massaging Steve’s scalp, pressing soft kisses to the side of his head.

“Okay, but...only if you go too,” said Steve, slurring his words slightly. Tony opened his mouth to refuse, but Steve cut him off before he could say anything. “If you don’t go to class, I go to work.”

Tony had to smile to himself, knowing well enough that even he was no match for Steve’s stubbornness. “Okay,” he acquiesced. “Okay. But you have to swear to stay in bed, and not try to spring clean the apartment or do our laundry or anything, okay?”

“Kay, Tony,” mumbled Steve, already half asleep. Tony pressed one last kiss to his forehead before getting ready to leave.

Unsurprisingly, Tony couldn’t focus in any of his classes that day. He was too busy worrying about Steve, agonizing over how to make him feel better. Of course, the fever could just break on its own, but Tony had no intention of letting Steve suffer for however long that took. He could buy some headache medication on the way home, but it was too dangerously close to the end of the month for him to consider buying anything out of their budget. Still, if it made Steve feel better…

He sat pondering his options, blind to his surroundings until Rhodey poked him with a pen. Again.

“You need to stop doing that,” he frowned, exaggeratedly rubbing at his side. The pen hadn’t really hurt, or actually done anything at all, but Tony liked being dramatic.

“And you need to start paying attention,” huffed Pepper from his other side. “What’s the point of coming to class if you don’t listen?”

Tony sighed. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I was worrying about-” he broke off, an idea popping into his head. He turned to his friend, trying to look as tired and pathetic as possible. “Headache,” he said, a twinge of guilt running through him at Rhodey’s concerned look. “You wouldn’t happen to have any Advil, would you?”

“I do,” said Pepper, rummaging through her bag. She let out a noise of triumph when she finally located a sheet of pills at the very bottom.

“Why the hell do you have so many?” asked Tony in genuine surprise. Pepper simply shrugged.

“My mom got me into the habit,” she said, popping a couple of pills out of their plastic cages and handing them to Tony. “She probably has like a million of these buried all around the house.”

Tony nodded and carefully pretended to drink the pills while artfully hiding them in his palm. _It’s for Steve, _he told himself as the feeling of guilt grew stronger. _Pepper said she has a million of them, she won’t miss just two._

Still, he made a concerted effort to be extra nice to her for the rest of the day. When he said goodbye to his friends at the end of the day, not lingering in his hurry to get back to Steve, Pepper pressed the entire sheet of Advil into his hand.

“Just in case Steve needs more,” she said, smiling knowingly at Tony’s shocked face.

Steve was asleep when Tony got home, still wearing the same clothes and wrapped in the same sweaty sheets from the morning. Tony pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, gentle enough to not wake him, and decided to make dinner before Steve woke up.

As much as he hated having the thin, brothy soup two times in the same week, he sighed and got to work. Steve would need a lot of fluids, and on the bright side, the soup cost less money than anything else to make. Thankfully, boiled tap water was still free in this country.

Steve shuffled into the kitchen just as Tony finished washing up. He looked like he’d been dragged through hell: his eyes were bloodshot and swollen, his hair was sticking up in all directions. To Tony, he still looked like the most gorgeous thing in the world.

“G’morning, beautiful,” he said, pulling his boyfriend in for a hug, clutching him tightly even as Steve tried to pull away.

“I’m the exact opposite of beautiful right now,” grumbled Steve. “Get away from me, Tony, I’m all sweaty.”

“And I don’t care,” said Tony, fondly. Steve’s temperature was still way higher than normal, but he didn’t seem to be quite as hot as he was that morning, which Tony took as a good sign.

“I’m not joking, Tony, I really need a shower.” Steve groaned and rested his aching head on the cool tiles of the kitchen walls. “And then maybe a power saw to cut my head off.”

Tony leaned up to kiss his boyfriend. “Food first,” he said, mumbling softly against Steve’s lips. “You can shower and kill yourself later.”

Steve giggled, the sound warming Tony’s heart. “Food sounds good,” he agreed, and gratefully accepted the piping hot bowl of soup Tony handed him. “What about you?”

“Oh, I already ate,” lied Tony shamelessly. “I’m sorry, babe, but I was really hungry and I couldn’t wait for you.”

On a normal day that excuse would never have flown, but thankfully for Tony, Steve’s fever-addled brain didn’t notice anything amiss. Tony felt guilty lying to Steve, but it was for his own good. Tony had made the soup thicker than they usually did (or, as other people would call it, a normal consistency) so Steve could actually have a filling meal for once. God knew the poor guy deserved it, and the satisfied look on his face was worth the gnawing, empty feeling in Tony’s stomach.

“That was really good, Tony,” said Steve sincerely as he washed his bowl, insisting that he could do it himself without Tony’s help. “You didn’t have to splurge for me.”

“It’s one day, Steve. It won’t make a big difference,” Tony replied, and handed Steve the pills he’d ‘stolen’ from Pepper. Steve eagerly swallowed them down, moaning at the sensation of the cool water hitting his throat after the hot soup.

Tony manhandled Steve into the shower directly after, not wanting Steve to be on his feet for too long. Their bathroom was too small for them to shower together; hell, Steve sometimes couldn’t turn around even when he showered alone, but Tony pressed himself under the cool spray next to his boy, neither of them caring about the lack of space. He gently washed Steve, rubbing soap over his back and arms. Steve leaned against the shower wall, his eyes closed. Tony wondered if he’d actually fallen asleep in that position, but Steve moved pliantly with Tony’s direction, the cool water and Tony’s gentle hands relaxing his clenched muscles.

Tony quickly stripped the sweaty sheets and remade the bed while Steve changed. He was practically falling asleep on his feet at this point, and Tony gently dried his hair off and settled him comfortably on their bed. He pressed a quick kiss to Steve’s forehead, but he couldn’t tell whether his temperature had lowered or not. He should’ve stolen a thermometer from Pepper as well.

“Tony,” whined Steve sleepily, making weak grabby hands in Tony’s direction. “It’s too cold. Cuddle me.” Tony laughed, his heart growing at how adorable Steve looked. Tony still had two watches to fix and deliver by next week, as well as a project report due Monday, but Steve was normally never this clingy, and who was Tony to resist, really? He pulled off his t-shirt and slipped under the sheets next to Steve, pulling him down so his head rested on Tony’s chest, his arms instinctively wrapping around Tony’s waist as Tony brought a hand up to rest on Steve’s head, lazily playing with his hair. This used to be their favourite position to sleep in before Steve bulked up enough to no longer fit in Tony’s arms comfortably, and they’d switched positions. For tonight though, Tony was more than willing to put up with a little discomfort. For Steve.

The next morning, Steve’s temperature was still high, but thankfully not to the dangerously burning level it had been the previous day. Steve insisted on going to work and had even picked up an extra shift, and none of Tony’s arguing or pleading could convince him to stay. So Tony had sent him on his way with a full sheet of Advil in his pocket and a promise to come back if he felt even slightly under the weather. Steve had just rolled his eyes at that.

“And they say _I’m_ a mother hen,” he joked as he left. “Don’t worry about me, Tony, I’ll be fine.” He pressed one last kiss to Tony’s lips, cutting off any argument. “I love you.”

“You’re an idiot,” grumbled Tony, pulling away. “I love you, too.”

Faced with a whole empty day ahead of him, Tony decided to get started on their laundry. They couldn’t afford a washing machine, so Tony and Steve washed all their clothes by hand. The first time he’d done it had been a revelation for Tony; he hadn’t realized simply _washing clothes, _an act of housework he’d done at home without a second thought, could be such a workout. Still, it helped save money and put a roof over their head, so Tony couldn’t really complain.

They’d gone through more clothes than usual in the last week, considering both of them had been sick and sweaty, so it took Tony almost two hours to get through the large load of laundry. Exhausted, he stumbled onto their couch, playing around on his phone. He had an Instagram message from the previous day, one that he’d been too busy to notice. It was one of Steve’s coworkers, asking why he hadn’t come in to work. Tony rolled his eyes and texted Bucky back.

_ -He had a fever, was too sick to come in. He’s still sick actually, so keep an eye on him for me, will ya?_

Bucky’s reply came back in seconds, making Tony wonder if he was actually working at all.

_ -Yeah, I could tell he seemed different but I asked him and he said he was fine. Typical Steve. I’ll watch your boy for you, Tony, no worries._

Tony rolled his eyes, well used to Bucky's teasing. He locked his phone and pulled open his laptop, determined to get his homework over with.

Steve walked in at night to the sight of Tony curled up on the couch, typing furiously away at his report. Steve smiled to himself, pressing a kiss to Tony’s head. “What ya workin’ on?”

“Nothing important,” said Tony, pushing his laptop shut and twisting himself around so he could kiss Steve properly. “How was your day? You feeling okay?”

Before Steve could reply, Tony heard a loud snort from behind him. “You guys are disgusting.”

Tony stuck his tongue out at Bucky, because he was a mature person like that. “Not my fault nobody likes you, Barnes.”

“Tell that to Nat here,” smirked Bucky, slipping an arm around Natasha’s waist. Natasha leaned against the door, watching the pair with amusement and holding a large white bag.

“Honestly, I still have no idea how you two ended up together,” said Tony thoughtfully. “Nat, I really thought you’d have higher standards than...this.” he wrinkled his nose and gestured towards Bucky.

Bucky fell on the couch, lazily flipping Tony the finger. Natasha just smirked and sat on Bucky’s lap, there being no other place for her to sit. “His dick makes up for his horrible personality.”

“Hey, why are you ganging up with him?” Bucky asked indignantly. Steve opened the door dressed in a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants, and Bucky appealed to him.

“Stevie, I’d make a good boyfriend, right?” Steve stared back, confused.

“Um, I guess? Maybe? Why d’you ask?”

“Because Nat ‘n Tony here don’t think I’m a catch.” He pushed Natasha off his lap, stood up and draped an arm around Steve. “Break up with your boyfriend Stevie, you’re datin’ me now.”

Steve smiled and removed Bucky’s arm from around him. “Thanks, but I think I’m good, Buck.” He kissed Tony’s cheek, and Tony took the opportunity to surreptitiously check Steve’s temperature. He was warm, but not too scary, so Tony didn’t worry too much.

“As fun as all this is,” said Tony, trying to stop the conversation going down the same rabbit hole it always did. “And as much as I love you guys, why are you all here? I don’t recall scheduling a fancy luncheon for you idiots.”

Natasha held the large white bag up. “They had free food at work today, so we stole enough to keep us alive for the next week or so.”

“It was Buck’s idea,” piped Steve from the kitchen.

“And I regret ever suggesting we share with you,” growled Bucky, glaring at Tony.

Tony fell onto Bucky and hugged him, exaggerating his movements. “Ah Barnes, I take back everything I ever said about you! You are my light, my life, my one true love! How would we ever survive without you?” Bucky laughed and pushed Tony off him. “Shut up, Stark, or you’re gonna make Stevie cry.” He pulled out a stack of paper plates, placed a serving of lukewarm spaghetti bolognese on each, and handed one to Tony.

It was nice, Tony reflected. The food was cold, and there was hardly enough space for the four of them. Steve and Bucky had to huddle on the floor, while Natasha and Tony squeezed on the couch together. But that just made it all the more intimate, as they sat together laughing and joking. Bucky told them more stories of baby Steve, the adventures they had growing up together, and Tony and Natasha ate it up for all it was worth. It was warm, happy, loving; Tony wouldn’t exchange it for the finest five-star restaurants in the world.

Tony rubbed his eyes, looking at the mass of bills on the table. Electricity, rent, water...all of them needed to be paid, and soon. He sighed, doing mental calculations to try and see if they had enough to cover everything. He counted the stack of bills stuffed in an envelope beside him for the fifth time, as if counting them repeatedly would change the amount inside.

Steve walked in, his face wrinkling in sympathy when he saw Tony’s tired face. He shut the door and walked over to hug his boyfriend.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Tones,” he said, caressing Tony’s hair. “I’ll pick up a few extra shifts. I can work next Sunday or something, and if we really needed to maybe we could borrow some money off of…”

“I’m sorry,” said Tony, cutting him off. He fell deeper into Steve’s arms, hugging him back. “I’m really sorry, Steve. This isn’t exactly how I pictured our life going when you asked me out. I’m sorry I dragged you into all this with me.”

“Tony,” sighed Steve, caressing his jaw and pulling Tony’s head up so he could look him directly in the eye. “Don’t, okay? You didn’t drag me into anything. We’re in this together.”

Tony looked away, his eyes filling with tears. “Point being, you shouldn’t be. You’re deserve so much, Steve, you deserve to have everything you want and need because you’re a beautiful, amazing person like that, and instead-” Tony sniffled, holding back sobs, “you’re stuck with me, in this shithole of a place, with no food and no life.” He buried his head into Steve’s broad chest, a few more tears slipping out of his eyes.

“Tony,” said Steve again, placing his chin on Tony’s head and hugging him tightly. “Baby, I already have everything I want, okay? I would live in a cardboard box if I had to, as long as I have you.” He pulled Tony’s head up and kissed him softly. “I love you, Tony.”

“I love you, too,” Tony mumbled against Steve’s lips. “Thank you so much for putting up with me.” He pulled out of Steve’s grip, his mind suddenly registering something. “Hey why’re you home so early?”

“Ah,” said Steve, nervously rubbing his neck. “I kind of...don’t have a job anymore?”

Tony stared back at him in shock. “Wait, which one?”

“I still work at the warehouse, don’t worry,” said Steve reassuringly. “They were laying off people at Walmart though.” He stopped, nervously gauging Tony’s reaction. “It’s...it’s gonna be fine, Tony, the warehouse always paid more and maybe I’ll have time to pick up a few extra shifts now, and I promise I’ll start hunting for more jobs as soon as I can, please don’t hate me-” Tony cut him off, pressing a harsh kiss to his lips. 

“I could never hate you, Steve, calm down.”

“I know, I-” Steve broke off, sighing and biting his lips nervously. “I guess we’ll have to stock up on candles, huh? No way we can make the electricity bill.”

“Not happening, Rogers,” said Tony firmly. “I’ll try and pick up some more work, or get another job…”

“Tony, you’re not doing that, you’ll overwork yourself to death.”

“A lot of students have part-time jobs, and that’s with their daddies paying their rents,” said Tony defensively. “I’m not letting you shoulder this yourself, Steve.”

“Tony, please, you can’t work two jobs _and _go to school full time! This is just a temporary thing, I’ll pick up another job as soon as I can.” He drew Tony into his arms, softly kissing his forehead. “Your finals are coming up and you know you’ll be _swamped _with work then, you’ll barely have time to eat, let alone go out ‘n work.” Tony didn’t say anything in reply and just glared at Steve in defiance. Steve sighed. “Your graduation’s in three months, babe. I can keep us alive for that long at least, yeah? And then you can get a proper job with your fancy degree and get us a decent apartment and whatever else your heart desires, okay?”

Tony giggled. “I’ll buy you a mansion full of servants. And a little unicorn pony so we can ride to work together.”

“You can buy me whatever you want,” smiled Steve. “Just wait three months.”

Finals month passed in a blur. Tony barely registered anything outside of school, his mind filled with equations and theories and dates. He had to give up his little mending business, reluctantly admitting that he barely had enough time to breathe for all the projects and coursework he’d left ‘til the last moment.

Steve picked up as many shifts as he could, meaning he wasn’t at home as much. Two months flew by with the couple barely ever seeing each other: Steve flew off to work at 4:30 in the morning, and came home way before Tony. Tony studied late into the night at the library, the open area being much more conducive to learning than his cramped apartment, and he’d invariably come home to a sleeping Steve, and sometimes a hot dinner ready and waiting for him.

Neither Steve nor Tony let it bother them. Steve, always the sweetheart, knew exactly how much stress Tony was under, and made sure to spend the few moments they had together making sure his boy was stable and not overworking himself to death. Tony, for his part, knew that Steve _was _overdoing it, and although he couldn’t find the time to take care of his boyfriend like he should, he tried his best to show him in the little things he could do.

Nobody was more relieved than the couple when Tony’s finals were over. Tony got home as soon as he could and they spent the next few days wrapped up in each other, both literally and figuratively, trying to make up for lost time. They only stopped for Steve to go to work, but even that seemed so much more bearable when Steve knew he had hot food and a loving boyfriend waiting for him at the end of the day. They were both happy, and besides the ever-present money problems, their lives had never been better. What Steve didn’t know though, was that Tony wouldn’t be his boyfriend for much longer.

On the day of Tony, Pepper and Rhodey’s graduation, Steve insisted on taking a day off and attending the ceremony. He fell asleep at some parts, tired as he was from his long day (and the pre-graduation gift he’d given Tony the night before, and that Tony had given right back to him), but he was wide awake as Tony walked across the stage to receive his degree, officially marking the end of college. He was awake all through Tony’s valedictorian speech, blushing as Tony thanked him in front of the entire faculty for being “my rock, my love, and the only reason I’ve survived the last three years”, wiping a few traitorous tears from his eyes. And he was wide awake as Tony found him after, running into his arms, looking suspiciously like a bat as his gown billowed behind him, and kissing Steve long and hard. For once Steve didn’t even mind the PDA, wanting everyone to see. Tony, this beautiful amazing brilliant boy in his arms, belonged to him. To Steve. Nobody else. He was clearly the luckiest man alive, and he wanted everyone to know that. 

They would have gone home and had a small private party, just the two of them and no clothes. However, Tony left him slightly after the ceremony, saying he’d be back soon. Pepper, Rhodey, Bucky and Natasha caught up with him and after a round of hugs and photographs, they decided to go out for a real party. (Not really, since everyone was almost as broke as Steve and Tony were. But they could have a low-budget get-together, at least.)

Everyone was in the mood to celebrate, and they crowded into Bucky and Natasha’s apartment. Bucky had stolen some more food in honor of the occasion, and although Steve usually disapproved of his friend’s habit, he let it go for once, knowing Tony deserved a treat.

“To no more exams for the rest of our lives,” cheered Pepper, holding up a plastic cup of juice. Everyone cheered and drank along, including Steve. Rhodey poked him in the side to get his attention.

“Where’s Tones?”

“He should be here soon,” said Steve, setting his cup down. “He said he had something important to do, whatever that means.”

The others accepted it, and they laughed and joked around, drinking the dollar store juice as if it were the finest alcohol available. It was a warm, homely atmosphere, and Steve closed his eyes, feeling relaxed for the first time in a long while. If only his boyfriend was around to sleep on.

“Steve, where’s Tony?” asked Bucky this time. “We’re all hungry.”

“You guys start eating,” said Steve, feeling guilty. “Tony’ll show up soon, just save some for him.”

“Nah, that’s fine,” said Pepper. “We can wait.” She suggested playing stupid party games to spend the time. Steve participated in the alcohol-free versions of Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever, laughing and joking around with the others, but as more time went on, he started getting worried about Tony. Where was he? Was everything okay?

“Steve, truth or dare?” asked Natasha, pulling Steve out of his thoughts. He shook his head, trying to focus.

“Uh, truth, obviously.” He smirked. “Nobody’s stupid enough to take dares from you, Nat.”

“True that.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “What emotion do you feel the strongest?”

“Right now? Hunger,” admitted Steve, and everyone started laughing. Bucky was the first to stop.

“Seriously, though, where did Stark go? It’s been hours since the ceremony.”

“I dunno, but he said he’d be back soon,” said Steve, worriedly. “You don’t think anything’s happened to him do you?”

“He’s not answering his phone,” frowned Pepper, holding up her phone to show them the ‘busy’ screen.

Steve bit his lip, his head immediately going over any of the million possible things that could have happened to Tony. He hadn’t been eating properly recently, which was all Steve’s fault because his pay was much less than it was before. What if he’d collapsed somewhere on the street and was now lying unconscious with no one to help him?

Or he could have been kidnapped. It was plausible, considering Howard Stark’s son would be a very valuable hostage for anyone to take. Steve shouldn’t have let him go off alone, what if Tony was dead, this was all Steve’s fault…

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Before anyone could react, Tony came flying in, still dressed in his suit and graduation robes. Steve shuddered, letting out a huge sigh of relief and immediately enveloped Tony in a hug.

“Where the hell were you? We were worried, Tony!”

Tony looked at him, breathless. “Steve,” he said, softly and reverently, cupping his face with his hands. “Steve...I got a job.”

Steve was unable to stop the shocked smile that grew on his face as the others whooped behind him. “Wha...Tony that’s amazing! Congrats!” Tony smiled, caressing Steve’s cheekbone with his thumb. “Yeah, the CEO of Hammer Tech saw my grades and he decided he wanted me in. Honestly, I think he just wanted me as some kind of rub in Howard’s face, but I don’t give two fucks about Stark Industries anyway, so I said yes! Steve, I have a proper job! Not some entry-level bullshit with no salary, but an actual proper job!”

“I’m so proud of you, babe,” said Steve, smiling, his pride and love for Tony shining in his eyes. He pressed forward to give Tony a kiss, but Tony stopped him. “Wait.”

Steve pulled back, confused and a little hurt. Tony must have noticed, because he immediately tangled his hand in Steve’s and said “I’m not done yet, just...give me a few seconds.” He took a deep breath and started speaking.

“Steve, I...I meant what I said today about you. We’ve been dating for three years and honestly, I don’t know how I ever survived without you before then. Especially this last year; you’ve been my rock, Steve. You supported me and gave up everything for me. You worked your ass off for an entire _year _so I could get a degree, and you never asked for anything in return. You’re the best, most beautiful, most amazing person I have ever had the pleasure to be with.” Tony paused for a second, and Steve could feel tears spring to his eyes. Not that he’d ever doubted it, but hearing from the man he loved how much he loved him, well; that was enough to make anybody emotional.

“I love you. I love you so fucking much, Steve Rogers, and I don’t ever want you to go a single day without remembering that. You deserve the world, and I’m sorry I can’t give you that, but what I can give you is my love. You’re the love of my life and I am so fucking grateful for everything you’ve done for me, so I just want to ask you one more thing.” Tony slid gracefully onto one knee, still holding Steve’s hand in his.

Steve could hear the girls’ muted gasps and Bucky and Rhodey’s cheers behind him, he could feel the tears slipping down his cheeks, but he didn’t register any of it. All he could focus on was the sight of Tony on one knee in front of him holding a shiny silver ring that he’d pulled out of nowhere.

“Steven Grant Rogers, will you marry me?”

He’d hardly finished the sentence before Steve choked out an answer. “Yes, yes, you idiot! The answer’s always yes!”

Tony slipped the ring onto Steve’s finger, his smile blindingly happy. Steve pulled him into a kiss (_finally_), wet and sloppy because they were both smiling too hard to kiss properly. Tony pulled away and pressed a kiss to Steve’s cheek, wiping away his tears. “I’m sorry about the ring, I...it’s just something I made in the lab, it’s not even silver, it’s an iron-titanium alloy ‘cause it reminded me of you, but I promise I’ll get you a real one-” Steve kissed him once more, effectively shutting him up.

“If you made it, I love it even more,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to Tony’s. “I love you.” Neither of them had to say anything more; their eyes were expressive enough.

Steve felt himself being pulled into a hug in a completely different direction, and it took him a few seconds to register that it was Bucky, and oh yeah, the others had been here this whole time. He got pulled into several hugs, Bucky declaring it was time for a “double celebration” and he even saw Natasha discreetly dry her eyes on her t-shirt. He’d never talk about it though; he wanted a nice long life with Tony, and he couldn't have that if he was murdered by Natasha.

Bucky put on a song from his playlist, and everyone started dancing along. Tony had turned his attention away from Steve for the moment, talking to Pepper and Rhodey about something or the other.

_ I remember talking and drinking what we could find_

He looked over at the trio, and caught Tony’s eye.

_ Burnin' all those candles and stayin' up through the night_

Tony gave him a brilliant, dazzling smile, his eyes saying a million words.

_ We'd make reservations for the places we know we'd never try_

Steve would get to see that smile, look into those eyes for the rest of his life.

_ But then oh, we found some rich love_

He smiled at the thought. Sure, their lives weren’t perfect. He worked over 90 hours a week, and they could still barely make rent. They ate one meal a day, two if they were lucky. They had no savings, nothing to fall back on, and no way of having a wedding. But even through all that, Steve was happy. He would always be happy, as long as he had his boyfriend. No, not his boyfriend. His _fiancé._ His love. His Tony.

_‘Cause if we don't find money,_

_ Then what we got honey lifts it up;_

_ We got some rich love._

**Author's Note:**

> So this whole "broke college students" thing is based on personal experience, if that wasn't obvious. Only, some of us write bad fanfiction instead of working real jobs because jobs are impossible to find in this country. If y'all want to help a girl out, I mean, I'd never say no. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and if you left a comment or kudos, thank you so much more! I haven't eaten a real meal in days, but comments and kudos are what feed my soul lol, so please feel free to leave as many of 'em as you want, and check out my other works too!
> 
> Again, thank you for reading, and I love you 3000!


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